1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to alarms for water level detection and more particularly pertains to a new water level alarm system for sounding an alarm when the water level in a receptacle reaches a prescribed upper limit. The receptacle or vessel may be a bathtub, lavatory basin or lower level room with a sump pump that has failed to operate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of alarms for water level detection is known in the prior art. More specifically, alarms for water level detection heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art alarms for water level detection include U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,491; U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,305; U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,985; U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,481 with a floating magnetic level sensor warning of a shortfall below a specified level; U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,926 with a floating magnetic level sensor with centering means and U.S. Design Pat. Des. 313,567.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new water level alarm system that operates on battery power. The new water level alarm system for sounding an audible alarm when water reaches a prescribed level to save energy and conserve water and prevent damage that overflowing water can cause is portable and can be moved for installation in a variety of places. The inventive device includes a sensor housing, a sensor housing upward end, sensor housing sidewalls, sensor housing medial portion and a sensor housing downward end with a large vertical bore, and the sensor housing medial portion having a small vertical bore; means attaching the sensor housing to a bathtub or water vessel; a float slidingly engaged within the large vertical bore; an elongate vertical member, having a lower member end, a middle member portion and an upper member end, the lower member end being attached the float, the middle member portion being slidingly engaged within in the small vertical bore, and the upper member end contacting a compressible air chamber located in the sensor housing between the sensor housing upper end and the sensor housing medial portion and small vertical bore. An alarm housing with speaker holes and a switch orifice at an upper end, alarm housing sidewalls extending downwardly to an alarm housing lower end, an alarm housing bottom connected to the alarm housing sidewalls is attached to the top of the sensor housing. The alarm housing bottom has a float orifice in vertical alignment with the vertical member. The float orifice permits unobstructed passage of the upper member end as the float moves. An audible alarm module is mounted within the alarm housing. The audible alarm module includes a serially connected electrical circuit comprising: a sound transducer underlying the speaker holes, a battery, a water resistant switch underlying the switch orifice, a solid state pressure sensitive switch having a characteristic such that the switch is conductive when pressure exceeds a prescribed value. Upward movement of the float pushes the upper member end through the float orifice contacting the compressible air chamber transmitting pressure through the pressure port into the solid state pressure switch exceeding the prescribed pressure threshold completing the electrical circuit of the sold state pressure switch, the battery, water resistant switch and sound transducer and sounding the alarm.
In these respects, the Water level alarmSystem according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of sounding an audible alarm when water reaches a prescribed level to save energy and conserve water and optionally turn off water automatically.